In order to provide services such as voice and data communication to a customer, the phone company is often required to connect, or interface, their telecommunications network with the telecommunications network of the customer's business or residence. This is because the phone company's network, although usually quite vast, does not typically extend into buildings such as private residences or commercial offices. Accordingly, the telephone company's services are provided to a customer by interfacing the telephone company's network with the internal communication network of the customer's building, which then distributes the services throughout the building. The point at which these two networks connect with one another is at the building entrance terminal (BET). The BET typically includes, among other things, one or more connectivity blocks that allow for the easy establishment of connections between a first group of wires (representing the phone company's network) and a second group of wires (representing the internal communication network of the building).
A recent development in certain connectivity blocks, such as those developed by Krone, Inc., is the inclusion of test ports. Through the insertion of a test cord and plug into a test port, a telephone company technician is provided with two simple ways of testing the telecommunication circuit made up of the telephone company's network and internal communication network of the building. Specifically, by insertion of the test plug into the test port, the technician can monitor the circuit without disrupting it, or alternatively, disconnect the two networks from one another and examine each network independently from the other. This latter testing method is often referred to as “looking both ways”.
Although the addition of test ports provides a technician with significant advantages in testing a circuit, it also creates several new problems. First, because the proprietary nature of the test port, one or more specific types of cords with the appropriate test plugs must be available to the technician to allow him or her to test the circuit. As a result, the telephone company has to purchase and supply the appropriate test cord or cords to each of their technicians. Subsequently, each technician is required to carry the additional cord(s), resulting in more equipment to transport from site to site, along with an increased chance of forgetting or losing the specialized and expensive test cord(s). Furthermore, the addition of one or more new cords can lead to greater confusion for the technician, who already has a significant number of tools he or she must be familiar with and know when to use.